Parks of SF
Parks of SF
Parks of SF
A comprehensive data guide to five of San Francisco's beloved green spaces.
A comprehensive data guide to five of San Francisco's beloved green spaces.
Date
Feb-March 2026
What I made
Poster
Zine
Course
Information Design Principles
Background
As a Bay Area native, I often find myself in San Francisco, and almost every time I make my way into the city, I land in one of the parks. This project acts as a guide to the parks, visualizing different aspects of each one for the viewer to compare them or make discoveries. The project started as a poster, and later expended into a more interactive and readable format with a zine. Both formats work together and provide unique advantages. All information found in these visual diagrams is sampled from official park records. If you’re ever in SF, you should definitely check out some of my favorite spots.
Background
As a Bay Area native, I often find myself in San Francisco, and almost every time I make my way into the city, I land in one of the parks. This project acts as a guide to the parks, visualizing different aspects of each one for the viewer to compare them or make discoveries. The project started as a poster, and later expended into a more interactive and readable format with a zine. Both formats work together and provide unique advantages. All information found in these visual diagrams is sampled from official park records. If you’re ever in SF, you should definitely check out some of my favorite spots.
As a Bay Area native, I often find myself in San Francisco, and almost every time I make my way into the city, I land in one of the parks. This project acts as a guide to the parks, visualizing different aspects of each one for the viewer to compare them or make discoveries. The project started as a poster, and later expended into a more interactive and readable format with a zine. Both formats work together and provide unique advantages. All information found in these visual diagrams is sampled from official park records. If you’re ever in SF, you should definitely check out some of my favorite spots.
Visuals
I wanted the visuals to be poppy, and alternative, different from typical data visualizations. I see San Francisco as a very unique place, with unique people, and I wanted to visualize that with this project. I chose bright pink as an eye-catching main color to channel this idea.
Visuals
I wanted the visuals to be poppy, and alternative, different from typical data visualizations. I see San Francisco as a very unique place, with unique people, and I wanted to visualize that with this project. I chose bright pink as an eye-catching main color to channel this idea.
I chose certain shapes like circles and colors like green and pink in order for all the data to stand out in these highly detailed illustrations. I wanted them to be both complex and understandable.
Zine
I thought a secondary zine format would be an effective addition to the system. In another world, maybe these zines actually get handed or are available for people to pick up around the parks.
I chose certain shapes like circles and colors like green and pink in order for all the data to stand out in these highly detailed illustrations. I wanted them to be both complex and understandable.
Zine
I thought a secondary zine format would be an effective addition to the system. In another world, maybe these zines actually get handed or are available for people to pick up around the parks.
Zine
I thought a secondary zine format would be an effective addition to the system. In another world, maybe these zines actually get handed or are available for people to pick up around the parks.
©
2026 ruby harkness
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